The Buzz: Bill Foster, a physicist and businessman, served from March 2008 until Jan. 2011 as the Representative of Illinois for the 14th Congressional District. At the age of 19, his brother and he started a business from scratch with only $500. To this day, Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) manufactures over half of the theater lighting equipment in the United States. Additionally, Foster received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University and has received several awards for his technical developments in the field, including high speed electronics and superconducting magnets.

Foster's top priority is the health of manufacturing in America. He proposes that inspiring students to build things would help stabilize manufacturing. Therefore, he sponsored Fab Labs, an advanced rapid prototyping equipment in storefronts and schools throughout the country. These labs allow both children and adults to design products such as jewelry, motors, or robots, on a computer to have them built.